(Enlarge) Franz West's playful sculpture "Lemure Heads" from 1992 gives a sense of the enormity of some of the works in the new installation at the Baltimore Museum of Art. (Mitro Hood)

Franz West's art does not adhere to conventional notions of beauty. This Austrian artist uses everyday materials to construct his sculptures, and he casually splashes paint across cut-up magazine photos in his collages.

He brings such a relaxed attitude to his art that you're encouraged to relax by sitting on some of his sculptures. His sprawling retrospective at the Baltimore Museum of Art includes both indoor and outdoor seating options, because several sculptures are installed outdoors.

"Franz West, to Build a House You Start with the Roof: Work, 1972-2008" has a playful quality that should prove appealing to most viewers, but the deliberately rough quality of West's approach may turn off viewers who cling to fine art expectations. Indeed, the latter are likely to trash West's trash art.

Born in Vienna in 1947, West (pronounced Vest) artistically came of age at a time when definitions of art were up for grabs. He obviously was influenced by the Arte Povera movement of the 1960s, in which Italian artists used common objects that spoke to everyday life. The so-called Happenings taking place in that decade also influenced him, because this performance-based movement made no distinction between art and props.

It's interesting that the retrospective opens with recent work and then basically moves backwards. You see West's cheerful current output and then can trace it back through earlier work and influences.

The first so-called "sitting sculpture" in the show is the 25-foot tall lacquered aluminum "The Ego and the Id" (2008), whose thin, looping tubes have sections colorfully painted pink, blue, orange, yellow and green. This sculpture incorporates small seats that are surprisingly comfortable. Like much of his sculpture, "The Ego and the Id" has biomorphic associations without evoking specific objects.

This lofty sculpture makes quite an impression, but West's other sculptures make very different impressions. Constructed out of papier-mâché, Styrofoam, cardboard, lacquer and acrylic paint, "Sisyphos IX" (2002) resembles a huge, rough-sided chunk of concrete to which paint has been sloppily applied. It's so dense looking that it seems like a boulder on the ground.

Altogether different is "Lemure Heads" (1992), which is made from plaster, gauze, cardboard, iron, acrylic paint, foam and rubber. The four heads comprising "Lemure Heads" have such big noses and mouths that they're human with a vengeance.

And for yet another kind of sculpture, look up at "Kobo" (2003). Suspended from the ceiling, it's made out of metal, papier-mâché, cardboard, gauze, paint and adhesive tape. This sculpture resembles a boulder floating in the air. Its bottom has been hollowed out. Pink neon tubes installed inside that cave-like space fill it with a light that is, yes, lovely.

A lot of the retrospective is given over to works on paper that extensively rely on painted collages. "Homepage" (2000), for instance, combines images of people, cell phones, meat, vacuum cleaners and other images that have been humorously juxtaposed.

Although much of the bright and silly artwork in this retrospective will appeal to kids, some of those collages may not be suitable for them. Parents are advised to steer young children toward some works of art and perhaps away from some of the collages. Good luck with that assignment.

Whether West is being nice or naughty, he aims for an immediacy of viewer response. You generally can "get" this artwork without necessarily feeling the need to linger long in front of individual works. However, there is another aspect of his art-making activity that does merit thoughtful consideration.

Such art-historical influences as Arte Povera and Happenings help explain the look of art that on first glance might seem like it's just going for a quick visceral response.

The Austrian artist self-consciously alludes to quite a few stylistic influences. In the papier-mâché, metal foil and cardboard "Joy" (1985), for instance, a hanging metallic tray has a gold veneer evocative of the shimmering paintings done by an Austrian artist from the early 20th century, Gustave Klimt.

West also pokes fun at such art movements as the Color Field paintings of the late 1950s. The wood, plastic and papier-mâché "Vase" (1974/1984) resembles a monochromatic painting with a "high art" aura. However, there is a metal hook in the center of the painting irreverently supporting a plastic bathing cap you're encouraged to put on. I hope nobody saw me put on the cap.

"Franz West, To Build a House You Start with the Roof: Work, 1972-2008" runs through Jan. 4 at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Call 443-573-1700 or go to www.artbma.org.

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